Venezuela Supreme Court Strips Power From Legislature

National Assembly President Julio Borges holds up ripped Supreme Court documents ruling that it can take over responsibilities assigned to congress, during a press conference at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, March 30, 2017. (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

Venezuela’s opposition dominates congress and sees the move as a power grab by President Nicolas Maduro. They want to remove judges from the Supreme Court. Over the weekend, the Court backed off on some of its ruling, but left in place part of the ruling that gave Mr. Maduro powers to negotiate economic policy that previously were subject to legislative review.

We talk about the political row with David Smilde, senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).